1. Technical Field
Embodiments relate to forming shielding layers for integrated circuit. More particularly, some embodiments relate to a manufacturing process for forming an integrated circuit in which a shielding layer is formed on multiple sides of the integrated circuit during wafer processing, prior to dicing the wafer.
2. Discussion of Related Art
Conventional manufacturing processes for integrated circuits typically include both wafer processing and a packaging process. During wafer processing, a wafer is formed and processed in various ways. By dicing the wafer, regions of the wafer can separated into individual chips. Dicing the wafer is the last step of the wafer processing, as following the dicing the chips are no longer part of a wafer.
After dicing the wafer, each chip may be packaged during a packaging process. The packaging process involves covering the chip with one or more packaging layers that protect the chip. One of the packaging layers may be a shielding layer that covers the components of the chip. This shielding layer typically is made of a conductive material and shields the chip from external electromagnetic fields, to reduce the effects of the external electromagnetic fields on components or operations of the chip.
In these conventional processes, the shielding layer is formed in two steps. First, during the wafer processing, a shielding layer is deposited on one side of the wafer. Second, after the wafer processing and during the packaging process of an individual chip separated from the wafer, a shielding layer is created on the other sides of the chip such that the shielding layer surrounds the chip. The shielding layer is created by spraying the conductive material onto the chip.